Joel Embiid Defends Pascal Siakam For Accidental Elbow, But Criticizes Raptors Fans

Toronto Raptors fans were called out by Joel Embiid, but the Philadelphia 76ers star defended Pascal Siakam for accidentally elbowing him to the face

Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports

Joel Embiid is holding nothing against Pascal Siakam for accidentally elbowing the Philadelphia 76ers' superstar in the face during Game 6 of the first round, but the same cannot be said for Toronto Raptors fans.

With just less than four minutes to go in a 29-point Game 6 blowout, Siakam made what he called a "basketball move" to get around Embiid for a bucket but accidentally hit the 7-foot bit man in the face, breaking his orbital bone and leaving him sidelined for the first two games of the 76ers' second-round series against the Miami Heat. The play was immediately reviewed and called an offensive foul but not a flagrant for unnecessary contact.

“I don’t think it was intentional, that’s my guy, obviously,” Embiid said of Siakam following Philadelphia's Game 3 victory over the Heat on Friday night. "It’s unfortunate, I don’t think he meant to do it."

Embiid, however, wasn't so forgiving to Raptors fans, some of whom cheered as he walked off the court in pain following the injury.

“I was more irritated by the perception of when that happened, really the fans," Embiid said. "I’ve always thought they’ve had great fans, but it kind of changed my mind about the fans up there. Whether it was throughout the series, the F chants and all that stuff, that’s cool. It never gets to me anyways, but I think they got mad because I did the airplane celebration."

Earlier in the series, Embiid praised Raptors fans for making Scotiabank Arena a hostile environment for opposing teams.

"It's always a tough place to play at especially in the playoffs," Embiid said following Game 3 of the first round. "They've got great fans. They're loud. I knew coming into Toronto I was definitely going to be the bad guy."

Further Reading

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Masai Ujiri gets emotional praising Pascal Siakam & Raptors forward explains what's next

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